Page 23 of Searching for Thanksgiving

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Morah squirmed out from under the comfort of her symbiot early the next morning and yawned. Her dragon stretched, wiggling her tail in the air and extending each limb before she looked around. The soft sounds of snores told her the others were still asleep.

Leo was curled up in a ball so tight that she couldn’t tell his head from his bum. Sacha and Pearl were wrapped around Hope with Rainbow acting as a bumper so they couldn’t fall out of the tree. James was lying across the branch above her with his back legs hanging off one side while his front legs and head hung from the other side. His symbiot was wrapped around him and anchored him to the branch.

She looked down at the ground. The woverbear and her cubs were gone. Her eyes widened with delight when a glimmer of gold caught her attention. A happy, excited smile curved her lips. Her dragon launched off the branch and glided to the ground near the rock in the center of the small clearing. Morah shifted and ran over to the golden goddess who was floating slightly above the boulder.

“Arilla!” Morah exclaimed with delight, throwing herself into the goddess’s outstretched arms.

“Hello, Morah,” Arilla greeted with a laugh.

Morah leaned back and grinned up at the goddess. “We’re on a quest. We’re searching for Thanksgiving.”

“I know, and it is a very important quest,” Arilla said.

“I knew it! I knew we was doing the right thing!” she breathed.

“You and the others are very brave to go on such a journey on your own,” Arilla said.

Morah looked up at the tree where the other kids were still sleeping. They didn’t look like brave explorers at the moment. They looked… well, they looked like the Christmas decorations on her mommy and daddy’s tree after Leo and Roam had been wrestling. She turned back to Arilla.

“Are you going to go with us on our quest?” she asked.

Arilla shook her head. “No, this is one that you must make on your own… but, I will give you a little help every once-in-a-while.”

“Help? How?” Morah asked with a confused frown.

Arilla softly chuckled, tilted her head to the side, and looked up at the knapsack hanging by its strap. Morah looked up as well and scowled when she noticed that it was not only next to Leo, but it looked a lot less bulky than it had last night. A grumble of frustration slipped from her.

“Leo’s ate all our food, didn’t he?” she growled.

“He’s a growing cat-shifter,” Arilla chuckled.

Morah shook her head. “He’s always hungry!”

“I think I can help you with this part of your journey,” Arilla replied in a soothing tone.

Arilla waved her hand, and the knapsack appeared on the ground next to them. Morah watched with awe as the knapsack grew pudgy again. She slid off the rock next to Arilla, knelt, and peered inside. Her lips parted with delight when she saw her favorite snack cake. She reached in, pulled it out, and took a huge bite. Her stomach and her dragon rumbled happily.

“Whatever you need for your quest will appear in the bag when you request it,” Arilla said, rising to her feet.

“Anything?” Morah repeated, looking up at Arilla with eyes shining with delight.

Arilla laughed again. “Yes, anything.”

“This is gonna be like having Alice or Adaline with us!” A flash of reluctance swept across Morah’s face, and she looked up at the tree again. “Do I have to tells Leo about this?”

“What would a good leader do?”

Morah turned to answer Arilla, but the goddess had disappeared. She looked at the cake in her hand and took another bite. It tasted yummy, so Arilla’s presence must have been real. She was pushing the last bite of cake into her mouth when she heard movement in the tree above her. Leo’s cat had lifted its head, his eyes still closed, and was sniffing the air.

“I smells food!” Leo purred, his eyes popping open with joy.

Palace gardens:

Spring looked up from where she was planting a new glowing spider lily when she sensed that she wasn’t alone anymore. She had escaped out into the garden early. She loved the peace and quiet of the early mornings and the way the plants reacted to the sun caressing them as it rose.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a blunt tone.

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